NBA Playoffs: 10 sleeper players to watch in Round 1

J.J. Barea

Time for possibly the sleepiest sleeper in this list.

Very quietly, during some cool shooting nights from Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea caught fire to be the Mavericks’ leading scorer over the final stint of the regular season. It’s been unexpected to say the least, especially as he only averaged 9.7 points per game and shot a mild 36 percent from three until the end of January.

Since then, Barea has added a few more big scoring nights, despite them coming fairly inconsistently. Nevertheless, during a six-game win streak through the end of March and the start of April, a streak that was vital in ensuring that the Mavericks secured the 6th seed, Barea averaged 21 points per game and shot 45.7 percent from three.

After Chandler Parsons was ruled out with season-ending knee surgery and Dirk had a few bad games, Barea’s sudden scoring burst was unexpected and incredibly appreciated. Without it, there’s no guarantee that the Mavs (42-40) would have made the playoffs over the 8th seed Rockets (narrowly behind at 41-41).

So, can Barea continue a hot spell in the playoffs, making his perimeter shots and running pick-and-pops so smoothly with Dirk? Against the Thunder in the first round, it certainly won’t be easy. Cameron Payne can be a pesky defender off the bench at times and when Barea has the misfortune of going against Russell Westbrook, well, there’s no need to explain how much of a physical disadvantage he’s at.

However, for a Mavs team with absolutely nothing to lose at this point as such obvious underdogs, Barea may be a scoring spark plug alongside the likes of Wesley Matthews and the ageless Nowitzki.

No, Barea obviously won’t be a star in the series, but don’t completely forget about him in the stardom that fills OKC.

Next: Michael Beasley